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salivate

[ sal-uh-veyt ]
/ ˈsæl əˌveɪt /
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verb (used without object), sal·i·vat·ed, sal·i·vat·ing.

to produce saliva.

verb (used with object), sal·i·vat·ed, sal·i·vat·ing.

to produce an excessive secretion of saliva in, as by mercurial poisoning.

RELATED WORDS

froth, run, spit, water, drivel, ooze, slaver, dribble, slobber, slabber

Nearby words

  1. salivary digestion,
  2. salivary duct,
  3. salivary fistula,
  4. salivary gland,
  5. salivary glands,
  6. salivation,
  7. salivator,
  8. salk,
  9. salk vaccine,
  10. salk, jonas edward

Origin of salivate

1650–60; < Latin salīvātus (past participle of salīvāre to cause to salivate); see saliva, -ate1
Related formsun·sal·i·vat·ed, adjectiveun·sal·i·vat·ing, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for salivating

British Dictionary definitions for salivating

salivate

/ (ˈsælɪˌveɪt) /

verb

(intr) to secrete saliva, esp an excessive amount
(tr) to cause (a laboratory animal, etc) to produce saliva, as by the administration of mercury
Derived Formssalivation, noun
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for salivating

salivate

v.

1650s, "cause to produce saliva;" intransitive sense from 1680s, from Latin salivatus, past participle of salivare, from saliva (see saliva). Figurative use in reference to anticipation by 1965. Related: Salivated; salivating.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Medicine definitions for salivating

salivate

[ săl′ə-vāt′ ]

v.

To secrete or produce saliva.
To produce excessive salivation in.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.